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Well it is hard to tell from one photograph taken down a coal mine during a power cut, but it is black with Falcons shoulder stripe things happening, and that is a good recipe for a proper Falcons shirt.

Rather underwhelmed but its black with a falcons logo on it and after about 8 seconds on consideration conjugation and justification snapped one up at 0752 whilst enjoying a coffee- oh how inhave missed the rugby season!!!!

I think it's easy to pick faults and this is a limited run clearly without all the sponsorship and premiership patch which I'm sure will give it a little something extra.
That said, ISC haven't exactly gone all out on this, or the away kit. It kinda looks like the stuff you could go on line and buy for your school team by selecting two colours and having your badge put on it. In some ways it reminds me of the Orion kits we had a couple of seasons ago.
I've bought the new one. I'm incredibly grateful to the club for their communication on its release and for pushing the basic shirt out early for us whingers. Just a bit disappointed with what ISC have given us. Gilbert was definitely a better looking kit

Not a fan of that shirt at all, looks like a generic training kit that you could knock up on the internet and get sent out for a local team. (only going by the shots on the website, which granted looks better on the players than the shot from the shop section of the site).

Strange that the club have yet to announce a sponsor but released the shirt....kind of pointless, as people will surely want the full kit that is worn by the players, and not what looks like a training kit.

I like the green away shirt, and was expecting something like that with the old thin hoops but in black (main) and white (hoops), ala, the wilkinson years, kind of disappointed to be honest.

May get the green away shirt, but will wait until the sponsors and what not are included on it.

Wearing the new home shirt as I type, first one that I have bought for many seasons, says it all really. I am struggling to get my head around some of the above comments, as it is a black shirt with the Falcons shoulder stipe motif, and not in white (no thought required) but in a shade of grey that works just right (lots of thought required to get it right) and available in a style that fits rugby supporters rather than rugby players. Somebody has put some thought into it.

Everyone to their own, but the offerings for the last few seasons have not tempted me at all, this one fits the bill nicely, and the hoodie that goes with it is looking like a good hint for a birthday pressie, not a bad trip to the club shop at all.

Guessing it's because we spend a fair few of our hard earned pennies buying it and hope to wear it all season with pride. I'm guessing you can't go too far adrift with amainky black shirt with some grey bits added on for interest. This years shirt could have been designed by a 4 year old but it's not offensive,could certainly be significantly worse and with the sponsorship logo and premiership arm patch on will no doubt look smart.
I think we all have our design likes and dislikes but I'm sure this one will grow on us. I also think alot of the opinions on past shirts are influenced on how well the team did when wearing that kit. I'm sure if we finished first this year it would be the best kit ever!!;-)

Oh dear what a dismal effort didn t like the away strip until I saw this and now it looks half decent. Won t be buying either and as for the polo shirt you can t even see the Falcons logo. So far used only 3 colours for both strips did someone nick the rest of the shirt "designers" crayons?

Had a look at the shirt in the west stand on Saturday before the game and though it was quite poor in design and quality, they have better Sunday clubs efforts hanging all around, looking at the quality and asking £50 for that compared to the hoodie is an absolute no brainier, a lot of people commented that the warm up shirt worn by the lads looked more the part

Had a quick look and definitely that fabric is vile and cheap looking but then so is most of the "athletic" wear. The design is OKish and looks better on someone fit and toned.

I wish for better quality scarves,gloves and hat (NOT a flipping' beanie please - only good for kids) as - lets face it - a shirt is nearly aways hidden throughout the season as its too damn cold to go without a coat even if you are a proper Geordie. How may of us can afford to pay for outerwear you could only wear at a match?

I would probably buy a nice thick cotton shirt to replace the charity one I have with Northern Rock on the front.

davietoonOh dear what a dismal effort didn t like the away strip until I saw this and now it looks half decent. Won t be buying either and as for the polo shirt you can t even see the Falcons logo. So far used only 3 colours for both strips did someone nick the rest of the shirt "designers" crayons?

My home shirt arrived yesterday. Whilst not a massive fan of the colours , it is smart. Quality wise, they are comparable with Gilbert. The material of the supporters shirts currently on sale is the same as that used in last seasons authentic player style shirts. Whilst little thought has gone into the design, with a myriad of sponsors logo's over it to 'liven' it up a little , it will probably look reasonably smart. Still intrigued to see the European shirt!

I can't get my head around the idea that if you don't like a shirt then that means not much thought has gone into the design, but if you do like it then the designers have spent ages doing a good job.

As somebody who has been involved in the design processes of a whole range of products for a very long time, from phone boxes to interiors of cruise ships, branding of beers and yes, uniforms too, I can assure you that just as much work has gone into the new shirts as would have if they had been covered in gaudy graphics, emoticons, a few random coloured blotches and a picture of a duck on a skateboard.

Monkey1I can't get my head around the idea that if you don't like a shirt then that means not much thought has gone into the design, but if you do like it then the designers have spent ages doing a good job.
As somebody who has been involved in the design processes of a whole range of products for a very long time, from phone boxes to interiors of cruise ships, branding of beers and yes, uniforms too, I can assure you that just as much work has gone into the new shirts as would have if they had been covered in gaudy graphics, emoticons, a few random coloured blotches and a picture of a duck on a skateboard.

That would be considerably more interesting than this seasons effort....

If the design for both the home and away were bespoke to the Falcons then fair point but a quick glance on the ISC teamwear website and you can see an almost identical design with different colours as for the material used I would assume this is a standard supporters material

As Ben has pointed out niether kit is bespoke ,just colour changes of existing ISC kits so the amount of "designing" involved is minimal and I m guessing the fees charged weren't .Either way we all have a choice buy one or Not I do hope the third kit will be brilliant as selling kit is a revenue stream for our beloved Falcons and money does help to.lrad to success.

Depends upon how much clubs/businesses ask a sponsor to pay up and what the level of engagement is.

I've now requested for sponsorship info 3 times and still not received any contact - from what I hear from others who do the same, the club does not have a particularly good track record with sponsor engagement but I can only comment from my own perspective.

I think that's enough to put my heart at rest Smithy. Okay it looked bad at the new season unveiling being the only team with no sponsor, but sometimes negotiations can take long. I will be happy to wait if it means we get a better deal. In the end I think it's just about communicating what's going on so fans are in the loop.

I want to buy the new shirt but I've been waiting for a sponsor so my shirt doesn't look blank. I know some prefer it that way but not here. We got a good deal out of Philadelphia, which quite a few people moaned about. I think we just need to trust those in the know that plans are afoot to get us where we need to be.

It's just unfortunate that we're talking about sponsorship a week into the new season. I hope lessons can be learned for the future.

On the rugby front I like the piece by Richards in the chronicle about where we're going. And agree with his points. Forget the preseason and look forward.

We now have a squad to be competing in the middle of the pack rather than worrying about relegation. And you get the feeling everyone wants to be near the top and it's that belief that I believe will get us to the next level.

The only question mark remain in the front row. But that's a wait and see situation. I'm sure there should be money to bring in a seasoned campaigner if none of the new boys step up.
Let's back the team on Friday wherever you are, which for me unfortunately/fortunately will be in Mernoca.

Let's set the tone for the season ahead. This is the most balanced we've been for years, and generally good quality too. The most depth I've known for sure.
C'MON Falcons! I say. And no happy pills here...

Firstly big thanks to smithy for engaging on this on a bank holiday weekend.-clearly no rest for the wicked!!
I'm pretty sure that if I was interested in sponsoring a team I could probably find the right number to call.
It is tough seeing our guys without a sponsor and this seems to be something that has dogged us over the years.
Unfortunately we are sat in the middle of a part of the UK that is very much football orientated and maybe rugby isn't quite as appealing to companies as we hoped. Brexit and financial instability have hit companies hard and I'm guessing that if it's a choice between letting some of the work force go or sponsoring a shirt no matter how beloved the first will win. I think it's important to value the shirt and therefore the team. If we don't get a suitable sponsor, which hopefully we will, a charity on the front would be great to see. I still remember the pink cancer research trust one and TBH with cancer affecting so many people , seeing it on the sleeve of a shirt would look really smart. I also understand the pink ribbon has caught on hugely stateside and may get some of our American friends buying our shirt.

markismith50digitalsys,
If you are genuinely interested in sponsorship at any level please email me on mark.smith@newcastle-falcons.co.uk and I will personally make sure it reaches the right person.

Your comments don't tally with my own experience regarding sponsor engagement but if you have specific examples we'd be keen to hear them

Cheers
Smithy

Smithy

Will try to catch up when I get back as just taking off for the week (back fri nite). One direct email and then tried routing via the kind gentleman who processed my son's proof of age (twice) but still nothing. Bit late for us now for this season but will look at it nice and early for next one. Will relay other comments via mail.

They seem to drop marks from the Exeter shirt because of to many sponsors but don't mention the amount glos have, I think the nicest kit this year is wasps, clean but with some thought in the little details, the grip on the shirt is tiny rubber 150s and they have also gone for a classic wasps logo

Not sure what the general feeling is but I'm a happy camper that we have IPA on the shirts again and all in all I think the kit could look a lot worse. Basic design (being generous there) , but with a few sponsorship logo and it looks ok. Still not a fan of the away kit and intrigued to see the European shirt that has been much talked about.

I take it they are only sponsering the home jersey as that will be the one we are wearing in Philly. Ive never know a club having different main sponsers on the home and away kit. when will the sponser for the away and european kit be announced ?

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